Rotary engine.



PATENTED JAN. 27, 1903.

0. G. RIBSKB. RDTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1902.

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N0 MODEL.

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PATENTBD JAN. 27, 1903.I

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AIPLIATION FILED APB.. 23. 1902.

No MODEL.

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OTTO Cr. RIESKE, OF DAYTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-TI-IIRDS TO JAMES J. GROGAN AND JAMES E. OCONNELL, `OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFIGACEION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,046, dated January 27, 1 903.

Application filed April 23, 1902. Serial No. 104,247. (No model.)

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Beit known that I, Or'ro G. RIEsKE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Dayton, inthe county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is a rotary engine which is actuated by a fluid under presro sure, in which there are no dead-centers, the

friction in the moving parts of which is reduced to a minimum, which by reason of the equal distribution of the actuating-power is even in its rotation, and in which compensai 5 tion for wear-in the parts may be made readily.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference-letters wherever they occur throughont the various views, Figure l is a longituzo dinal central sectional View of a rotary engine embodying my invention, taken upon line s, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a central transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the end of one of the piston-rods which engages the track, upon an enlarged scale. Fig. e is a perspective view, upon an enlarged scale, of the shaft and the movable collar thereon, which is used for compensating for wear, the collar being shown partially 3o broken away to expose the shaft. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken through one set of ports of the hub, the radiating cylinders formed integral therewith, and the shaft, line cc se, Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of Fig.

5. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional View ofa modified form of piston-rod and track.

Referring to the parts, a shaft Bis secured between standards ct d', supported upon a base A. Shaft B is hollow throughout its 4o length except for a central partition b, and upon each side of the partition are formed diametrical admission and exhaust ports b b2 and h3 h", respectively, the ports I9/ b2 being at right angles to b3 b4. Upon shaft B is feathered a collar b5, which has a slight taper and which may be adjusted upon the shaft by means of j ann-nuts b hl. Collar bhas ports hs, which register with ports b b2, and ports b9, which register with ports b3 b4. Mounted upon l collar h5 isahubD, which is made with-a taper 5o corresponding to that of the collar and which is formed integral with its four radiating cylinders CZ d d2 d3. Hub D has upon each side annular grooved iianges D D2. Upon the shaft B are two caps E E', which have in- 55 wardly-projecting annular flanges e c', whose inner faces have annular grooves in them to receive ball-bearings c2 e3, which engage the annular flanges D D2, cap E bearing against or formed integral with standard a and cap .6o E being adjusted by means of a jam-nut e4. The bottom of cylinder d communicates with top of cylinder d through a channel d4. Similarlyv d communicates with the top of d2 by a channel d5, and d2 with d3 by a 65 channel d6, and cl3 with d by a channel dl. The tops of the cylinders are closed by means of perforated caps d8. Within each cylinder is a cylindrical piston C, which has an outward-projecting piston-rod c, which termi- 7o nates in a cup c', in which is seated a hardsteel ball-bearing c2. Caps d8 have packingglands CZ surrounding the stems c.

In the bottom of each cylinder C are two ports c3 c4. cB registers with the ports bs in 75 collar b5, and ports c4 register with ports b9 in the collar. Encircling the cylinders is a track F, against which the balls c2 bear. Track F is in the form of two intersecting ellipses Whose major :axes coincide and whose minor 8o axes are placed at a distance apart, the distance depending upon the length of cylinders. At the ends of the major axes the ellipses are cut ont for a short distance beyond the end of the axes in thedirection in which the cylinders are rotated, and at the points where the ellipses meet the track is carried inward for a short distance, all as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, which show the major axes and the line at right angles there- 9o to, which connects the meeting-points of the ellipses. The object of thus carrying the track beyond these points is to avoid dead-centers, and the mode in which it does so will be described in detail when pointing out the operation of the engine.

In operation steam or whatever actuating iiuid may be used enters the cylinders which are opposite admissionports b b2 through ports c3. Ports c3 register with ports b' b2 when the cylinders are in the position in which the piston-rods are bearing against the meeting-points of the ellipses, at which time ports c4 register with exhaust-ports b3 bl. The live steam pushes the pistons outward, causing the rods to bear against the track and rotate the cylinders. The steam passes from the inner ends of the cylinders at the same time to the outer end of the adjacent cylinders to draw the pistons therein, which are at the outer end of their strokes inward, the latter pistons at the same time exhausting at their inner ends through ports b3 b4. It is of course obvious that channels d4 d5 d6 dT may be omitted and that the shape of the track would of itself carry the pistons in to their inward position. The balls c2, bearing against the track andk rotating in their cups, reduce the friction at that point to a minimum, While the ball-bearings e2 and e3 reduce the friction at the hub likewise to a minimum. The eect of carrying the curve of the track beyond the major axes and the meeting-point of the ellipses,as aforedescribed,is as follows: When one set ofcylinders coincides with the line joining the meeting-point of the ellipses, they are just beginning to take steam. Now if the other set coinciding with the major axes had reached the outer limit of their travel there would be no actuating-power to rotate cylinders except the momentum they had gained. By carrying the curve beyond these points these latter cylinders have still some space left at their ends to allow for further expansion of the steam Within them, which carries the cylinders beyond the dead-center, so that the steam has started to actuate the other set of cylinders.

Now as to the feature of compensating for wear, when collar b5 has been worn by the rotation of the hub thereon it may be readily moved along by adjustment of the jam-nuts h6 hl to bring a new part into operation.

In Fig. 7 the track is formed by a slot F', similar in form to track F, the inner portion being held to the outer by angle-plates f. With this form of track piston-rod c5 is formed with an angle-arm c6 at its end, which has an inwardly-projecting arm c7, upon which is journaled ball a8, which runs in the slot.

The arrangement of the cylinders in the position such that when one is being actuated by the expanding-steam the other is exhausting causes the machine to run smoothly; but to enhance this elect a iiy-wheel Gis secured concentrically to hub I).

What I claim isl. In a rotary engine the combination of a fixed shaft having therein a channel for live steam and a channel for exhaust-steam, ports in the shaft communicating with the livesteam channel and ports communicating with the exhaust-steam channel the former ports being in different diametrical planes from the latter, a hub having radiating cylinders secured thereto mounted rotatably upon the shaft, the cylinders having at their inner ends a port to register with the live-steam port and a port to register with the exhaust-steam port, an elliptical track encircling cylinders, pistons within the cylinders having outwardly-projecting piston-rods to contact the track, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a rotary engine the combination of a fixed shaft having in it a channel for -live steam and a channel for exhaust-steam, ports in the shaft communicating with the livesteam channel and ports communicating with the exhaust-steam channel the former being in different diametrical planes from the latter, a tapering collar feathered upon the shaft and adjustable thereon and having ports therein to register with ports in the shaft, a hub mounted. rotatably-upon the collar, ra-

diating cylinders secured to the hub and having at their inner ends ports to register with the live-steam ports and ports to register with the exhaust-steam ports, an elliptical track encircling the cylinders, pistons within the cylinders having outwardlyprojecting piston-rods to contact the track, substantially ,as shown and described.

jor axes coincide, the curve being cut inwardly beyond the point at which the major axes meet the curves, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a rotary engine the combination of a iixed shaft having therein a channel for live steam and a channel for exhaust-steam, ports in the shaft communicating with the livesteam channel and ports communicating with the exhaust-steam channel the former ports being in different diametrical planes from the latter, a hub having radiating cylinders secured thereto, the cylinders having a port in their inner ends to register with the livesteam port and another port to register with the exhaust, caps closing the outer ends of the cylinders channels connecting the inner end of one cylinder with the outer end of the next cylinder, an elliptical track encircling the cylinders, pistons within the cylinders having piston rods extending outwardly through the caps and contacting the track, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a rotary engine the combination of a fixed shaft having a channel for live steam and another for exhaust-steam, diametrical ports communicating with the live steam channel and similar ports communicating with the exhaust-steaml channel and in a diametrical plane at right angles to that of the former ports, a hub mounted rotatably upon IOO IIO

the shaft four radiating cylinders formed inl piston-rods to contact the trackubstantially tegral with the hub two ports at the inner as shown and described.

ends of the cylinders, the one registering with the live-steam port and the other registering OTFO G' RIESKE 5 with the exheuststeam port, an elliptical track encircling the cylinders, pistons within the cylinders l1 :wing outwardly-projecting Witnesses:

W; F. MURRAY, JAS. J. GRoGAN. 

